Builders demolished part of the chimney of the former Breda department store in Opava

Opava - The construction company has demolished part of the chimney of the former department store Breda. The bricks will be used for a new chimney. Renovation is ongoing. The builders dismantled the upper half of the non-functional chimney, which was in poor technical condition. There was a risk of it collapsing onto the neighboring glass dome, which is a dominant feature of the building designed by the famous architect and native of Krnov, Leopold Bauer. Roman Konečný, spokesman for the Opava city hall, said this to ČTK.

"Approximately half of the upper part of the chimney at Breda, which has not been used for about sixty years, and which developed serious cracks in the summer that threatened its stability, has already been safely dismantled. Some old bricks have been salvaged and will be used in the construction of the new chimney. However, most of the material was in such poor condition that it had to be removed and replaced with new bricks," Konečný said. The lower part of the chimney, according to him, has been secured by the company with steel bands so that it can safely withstand until its complete renovation.

Konečný stated that construction workers and restorers can now proceed with the reconstruction of the dome without risk. A special scaffolding brought from Germany has already been erected beneath it. As expected, most of the glass blocks used in the dome are significantly damaged and replicas will need to be produced. "Years of decay, water infiltration, but of course also the fire, have taken their toll here. A closer examination only confirmed our fears," said Mayor Tomáš Navrátil (ANO). According to him, further steps will be decided based on tests.

At its opening in 1928, Breda was the largest department store in the country. The building, dating from 1927, was created by reconstructing the original department store and had long been deteriorating. The cultural monument, which belonged to the bankrupt company of entrepreneur Kamil Kotek, was acquired by the city in 2022 for 39.5 million crowns. The total costs of the renovation, which were initially estimated to be around 300 million crowns years ago, are now 200 million higher. The annual operating cost of the building with 10,000 square meters is expected to be around 17.7 million crowns.

After the repairs, the building should offer a market, restaurant, café, and rental spaces. Architects also plan to create a square in front of the building. The transformation of Breda is being undertaken by the Brussels studio OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, the Brno studio GRAM, and the Slovak collective Spolka. The architects aim to restore Breda's original splendor and open the space to the public.